Time Traveler: The Young Victoria and Victorian Architecture

I recently re-watched one of my very favorite films, The Young Victoria. I always enjoy a good historical movie, and this one is especially well done.

Emily Blunt does a fantastic job portraying a young Queen Victoria and the styling (of both sets and costumes) is superb.

At the age of eighteen in 1837, Victoria was awakened by the news that her Uncle William IV had died and that she was to be Queen. Her childhood bedroom in Kensington Palace epitomizes the look of Victorian interior style.

As an adult, Queen Victoria lived with her husband, Prince Albert, in the palace’s State Apartments. In 1848 Queen Victoria purchased Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It has been the Scottish Home of the British Royal Family ever since.

The royal couple hired British architect William Smith to remodel parts of the castle.

Victoria and Albert also spent time at Osborne Houseon the Isle of Wight, built for the couple in 1845. Prince Albert designed the house, along with architect Thomas Cubitt, to be a summer home and rural retreat in the style of an Italian Renaissance palazzo.

Victoria died at Osborne House in 1901. Her reign of 67 years is the longest of any British monarch and the longest in history of any female ruler. She left a significant impression on England and Europe.

While Victorian interior styles have passed their prime, elements of Victorian architecture are still very much appreciated. During Queen Victoria’s reign (1837-1901) in England, architects focused less on symmetry and more on defining the style. In the United States between 1860-1900 archtectural styles of Queen Anne, Second Empire and Shingle style fell under a larger umbrella of Victorian, as seen in the details of San Francisco row houses,

Movies like this are right up my alley. I never got to watch this one. I don’t go to he theater much anymore, but love to cozy up in my own home and watch. Maybe this weekend! Thanks for reminding me of it.

Happy first week of the year, Laura! It is good to be back here (I am slowly easing into blogging again…).

Victoria homes are wonderful and looking at that image from San Francisco only brings back good memories. I bought my first home in the US in that city and that is also were our oldest child, Frida, was born.

I have not watched the movie. But with your recommentation, I might just have to look for it.

What a magnificent post! I loved this movie, and did not know about Queen Victoria’s many houses, or the fact that she spent much of her life living in Kensington Palace. I saw that the movie is on Netflix on Demand….given that we are iced in her for the third day in a row, it might be a good activity today!

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